A Farmington woman hosts two new cable shows about horses.

Ida Anderson admits she was a little “horse crazy” growing up in rural Maine.

It was the kind of infatuation that caused her to ride her neighbor’s sheep when she didn’t have a horse of her own. The kind that – when her parents finally gave in and got her a horse – caused her to join a riding club, take riding lessons, start competing in dressage and grow into a horsewoman, judge and trainer.

The kind that, decades later, has Anderson hosting her own equestrian TV shows.

The Farmington resident is co-host of “Equus HD,” a Florida-based cable show airing in Florida and Boston. The program showcases horses for sale and includes interviews with equine professionals and highlights from international dressage competitions. She also hosts “Equus Games,” offering color commentary on dressage competitions.

Desiree Mufson, who created and produces the shows, called Anderson a “natural talent” for the shows.

“She can just speak off the top of her head about horses in an intelligent fashion,” Mufson said. “And, most importantly, she makes the guests feel welcome. She brings out the best in the guests.”

Anderson started riding as a child in Strong. She got her first dressage training from Olympian Michael Poulin and went on to study in Portugal, Germany and Sweden. She competed internationally and became both a judge and trainer.

But despite that success in the sport, she didn’t quite believe Mufson when she called about hosting an equestrian TV show.

“I thought, ‘This has got to be a crank call,'” Anderson said.

Mufson was looking for someone personable and knowledgeable. She discovered Anderson through a friend of a friend.

Anderson spends three months a year in Florida and met with the shows’ producers there. It didn’t take long to convince her the shows could be something special and that she, as a rider and judge, had something to add.

“Dressage is sort of like golf. It can be like watching grass grow unless maybe you know some information about the rider which you can share, some information about the horse, or even discussing the movements that are occurring or commenting, ‘Oh, he just made a hesitation. That’ll be a .5 deduction,'” she said. “That kind of thing keeps the viewer interested.”

Anderson taped some shows in Florida over the winter. This summer she’ll fly to Florida for two or three more shows and will record some commentary from her home in Farmington. Full taping will resume in the fall.

Anderson doesn’t plan to stop judging or training. But after four decades, she’s delighted to find a new way to show her devotion to the animals.

“I was working five days a week in my regular business, and I did this two days a week on my days off. So for 90 days I worked straight down there. I was exhausted with it,” she said. “I loved it.”